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Laurence Edmondson, F1 Editor
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on Thursday he is hopeful an investigation into his conduct by his team’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, is resolved quickly.
Horner has been accused by a member of Red Bull’s Formula One team of controlling behaviour and sending inappropriate text messages. Horner has been the subject of an investigation conducted by an independent lawyer since early February.
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No timeline has been given for the investigation’s resolution and Horner, who has denied the allegations made against him, has continued in his role as the team’s boss while it is ongoing.
Formula One released a statement last weekend calling for clarification on the matter “at the earliest opportunity,” while rival team principal Toto Wolff said the investigation must be sufficiently rigorous.
Speaking during a news conference at this week’s preseason testing in Bahrain, Horner said: “I am really sorry, but I cannot comment on the process or the time scale.
“I think everybody would like a conclusion as soon as possible but I am really not at liberty to talk about the process.”
During the same news conference on Thursday, McLaren team principal Zak Brown said the results of the investigation need to be “transparent” for the good of the sport.
“The allegations are extremely serious,” Brown said. “McLaren holds themselves and all the men and women who work at McLaren to the highest standards, diversity, equality and inclusion are extremely important to us, our partners, to everyone in Formula One.
“Red Bull corporation, it appears, have launched an investigation. All we hope and assume is that will be handled in a very transparent way as the FIA and Formula One has said. They need to handle it swiftly because I don’t believe these are the type of headlines that F1 wants or needs at this time.”
The first race of the new Formula One season is due to take place on March 2.
Source: www.espn.com